Space & PhysicsJune 16, 2014
Seemingly Strange Solar Cycle May Be Sorta Normal
The current solar maximum appears to be weak. But the few previously measured maxes could have been unusually strong. Clara Moskowitz reports
Stories by Clara Moskowitz
Clara Moskowitz is chief of reporters at Scientific American, where she covers astronomy, space, physics and mathematics. She has been at Scientific American for more than a decade; previously she worked at Space.com. Moskowitz has reported live from rocket launches, space shuttle liftoffs and landings, suborbital spaceflight training, mountaintop observatories, and more. She has a bachelor’s degree in astronomy and physics from Wesleyan University and a graduate degree in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Space & PhysicsJune 5, 2014
When Galaxy Clusters Crash, Light Warps and Particles Fly
New observations of a behemoth collision reveal extreme physical forces at work
The SciencesJune 2, 2014
Even Einstein Was a Fool in Love
NEW YORK—When it came to relationships, Albert Einstein was no Einstein. In fact, the famous genius's romantic entanglements could rival the dysfunction of a typical Jerry Springer guest.
Space & PhysicsJune 2, 2014
Dark Matter Shell Saved Wannabe Galaxy
A failed dwarf galaxy called the Smith Cloud apparently survived an ancient collision with the Milky Way because of a protective dark matter cloak. Clara Moskowitz reports
EnvironmentJune 1, 2014
Book Review: Deep
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
Space & PhysicsJune 1, 2014
The Real Sally Ride: Astronaut, Science Champion and Lesbian
In a Q&A biographer Lynn Sherr explains the public and personal sides of the notoriously private Sally Ride, America’s first woman in space, which she chronicles in a new book
Space & PhysicsJune 1, 2014
Lake on Saturn’s Largest Moon May Have Waves
Waves on Titan indicate bodies of liquid methane may be home to life
TechnologyJune 1, 2014
Book Review: Virtual Unreality
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
Space & PhysicsJune 1, 2014
Book Review: Sally Ride: America's First Woman in Space
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
Space & PhysicsMay 30, 2014
Smart Luck: How the Big Bang Was Found by Accident [Slide Show]
Two astronomers recall almost mistaking light from the big bang for pigeon droppings
Space & PhysicsMay 23, 2014
Cash-Starved NASA May Have to Nix 1 Space Telescope to Save Others
Hubble, Kepler, Chandra and other orbiting observatories got reprieves, but the Spitzer mission may be canceled
Space & PhysicsMay 22, 2014
Jupiter's Great Red Spot Now Just Pretty Good
Jupiter's Great Red Spot, once estimated to be 41,000 kilometers across, is just 16,500 kilometers wide in the latest Hubble Space Telescope observations, and the shrinkage seems to be accelerating. Clara Moskowitz reports
Space & PhysicsMay 16, 2014
When Will We Find Dark Matter?
One of the most fundamental but elusive constituents of the cosmos could soon be cornered
Space & PhysicsMay 14, 2014
Russia to Close Space Station in 2020 Due to U.S. Sanctions
NASA and Russia’s good relationship in space may sour over Ukraine crisis
The SciencesMay 13, 2014
Neutron Death Mystery Has Physicists Stymied
Conflicting results in measurements of how long neutrons live has physicists rethinking their experiments, because solving the riddle may point the way to exotic new physics
Space & PhysicsMay 7, 2014
Galaxy Gave Star Cluster the Boot
The star cluster HVGC-1 had been part of the M87 galaxy, but now it's fleeing that galaxy at more than two million miles per hour. Clara Moskowitz reports
The SciencesMay 7, 2014
Superheavy Element 117 Points to Fabled “Island of Stability” on Periodic Table
One of the largest atomic nuclei known could lead to the discovery of elements that do not immediately decay
Space & PhysicsMay 5, 2014
While NASA Idles, Commercial Space Revs Up
NASA may have lost the urgency of its 1960s moon race years, but today's commercial space sector looks to be recapturing some of that fervor.
The SciencesMay 1, 2014
The Miracle of Chocolate, Glass and Other "Stuff"
Materials scientist Mark Miodownik is on a mission to make people appreciate the substances around us
Space & PhysicsMay 1, 2014
Proof that the Universe Inflated Rapidly After the Big Bang
Traces of primordial gravitational waves could tell us how and when the early universe went through its precipitous expansion
The SciencesMay 1, 2014
Book Review: The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
The SciencesMay 1, 2014
Book Review: Stuff Matters
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
The SciencesMay 1, 2014
Book Review: Animal Architecture
Books and recommendations from Scientific American
Space & PhysicsMay 1, 2014
Kepler Telescope Finds 700 New Exoplanets
Data from the damaged spacecraft reveal new worlds